Treatment

brachytherapy (a form of internal radiotherapy for womb and cervical cancer only)

The type of treatment you will require depends on what gynaecological cancer you have.

Surgery for patients with a gynaecological cancer can be given in Antrim Area Hospital or more specialist surgery can be provided at the Belfast City Hospital. Chemotherapy for gynaecological cancer is only given in the Cancer Centre at the Belfast City Hospital. Radiotherapy is only given in the Cancer Centre at Belfast City Hospital.

Your doctors will tell you about the benefits, risks and side-effects of the treatments being offered.

Each person is different and your surgery and/or treatment will be tailored to your needs and discussed fully with you before proceeding. Throughout your care, procedures, surgery and treatment will not be carried without your consent.

Cervical cancer

Surgery is often the main treatment for women with early-stage cancer of the cervix. If a patient is to have surgery to treat their cervical cancer they may undergo a laparoscopic radical trachelectomy (a type of surgery the cervix and the upper part of the vagina are removed, but the rest of the uterus (womb) is left in place) or a laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (surgeon removes the whole uterus, tissue on the sides of the uterus, the cervix, and the top part of the vagina).

Sometimes radiotherapy may also be given after surgery if there is a risk that cancer cells may have been left behind. This helps reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.
This radiotherapy is often given in combination with chemotherapy treatment for larger tumours of the cervix. This is known as chemoradiation.

Vulval cancer

Surgery is the main treatment of vulval cancer. This form of cancer treatment aims to remove the cancer tumour and the non-cancerous surrounding cells. At the same time the surgeon will try, as far as possible, to preserve the appearance and function of the vulva.

Different operations can be used to treat vulval cancer. The type of operation a patient will have depends on the size and position of the cancer.

Many women are cured of their vulval cancer with surgery alone; however some women may need radiotherapy or chemotherapy after their operation.

Womb (Endometrial) cancer

Surgery is the main treatment used to treat womb cancer. Many women are cured of their womb cancer with surgery. It may be used alone or in combination with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The aim of surgery is to completely take away the cancer.

Gynaecological cancer

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The information on this site is for guidance only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other healthcare professional. Throughout this site, the Trust has provided external links to other sites, but cannot accept responsibility for their content.